Tess of the d'Urbevilles: by Thomas Hardy

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‘How does Hardy lead us to feel sympathy for Tess?’

GCSE Coursework: pre1914 prose study:

Tess of the d’Urbevilles: by Thomas Hardy

 

 “How does Hardy lead us to feel sympathy for Tess?”

I think that throughout the novel Thomas Hardy uses many different techniques that lead his readers to feel sympathy for Tess. Through reading Hardy’s ‘Tess of the D'Urbevilles’ I have realised that it is invaluable that the readers of any novel sympathise with and feel compassion for the main character. In writing ‘Tess of the D'Urbevilles’ Thomas Hardy is very successful in grabbing the attention and sentiments of the reader and then steering their emotions so that they feel empathy and understanding for the character Tess. Hardy does this from the very first time we are introduced to Tess.

  The first time we see Tess is at the Woman’s Walking Club Festival, Hardy describes her as ‘a fine and handsome girl, with a mobile peony mouth and large innocent eyes’ (Chapter II), ‘a small minority would look long at her in casually passing and grow momentarily fascinated by her freshness…’ (Chapter II). This description of pure beauty and innocence captures the imagination of the readers and we begin to build a relationship with the character. The beauty and goodness that we see in Tess draws us to her, and engenders a feeling of affection for her, in this way Hardy is preparing us for later in the book when we see Tess suffering, and feel sympathy for her. Hardy is leading us to feel sympathy for Tess by using her attractiveness and personal qualities.

  From the first scene in which we meet Tess, Hardy leads us to feel sympathy for her by giving the impression that we (as readers) are slightly overlooking Tess; a place in which this technique is used is whilst Hardy is describing the effects of her appearance on others. Hardy describes the more extraordinary features of Tess’ appearance: ‘Phases of her childhood lurked in her aspect still…you could sometimes see her twelfth year in her cheeks, or her ninth sparkling from her eyes) but then follows this description with the words: ‘but to almost everyone she was a fine and picturesque country girl and nothing more’ (Chapter II). Hardy uses this dismissive tone of speech to display to the reader the prejudice Tess is subject to because of her low social class, this allows us to identify with Tess and consequently feel sympathy for her.

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  Hardy also leads us to feel sympathy for Tess by alerting us to the fact that Tess is a very moral, altruistic, good person, who does not deserve hardship.

One such way that Hardy shows this is by always making Tess supportive and loyal to her family. This is shown early in the book, where some of the girls of the Woman’s Walking Club are teasing Tess about her fathers drinking habits and Tess tells them: “Look here, I wont walk another inch with you if you say such jokes about him” (Chapter II) although she is acutely embarrassed. ...

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